Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

:dance:  :dance: Mikki - How cute!! Congrats!!! :dance:  :dance:

:dance:  :dance: Terri - Congratulations!!  :dance:  :dance:

:dance:  :dance: Way to go Louise!!! Congratulations!!! :dance:  :dance:

:dance:  :dance:  :dance: Yvonne - Congratulations!!! Beautiful bear!! :dance:  :dance:  :dance:

:clap:  :clap: Judi - As always gorgeous and beautiful work!! Congratulations!! You deserve it!! :clap:  :clap:

:dance: Way to go Tami!!! I'm so thrilled for you!!! :dance:

CONGRATULATIONS!!! TO THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE BEEN CHOSEN FOR THE TOBY AWARDS.

I'm a little sad that Benson wasn't a nominee for the Toby Awards. I don't know if he is a Golden Teddy Award nominee or not yet?? I guess I should just stick to making bears and not doing contest.

Benson

Mindy -
I personally appreciate you and the whole Teddy Bear And Friends crew!! You all do such a outstanding job in advertising, designing the magazine, and bringing the most interesting stories etc.. I would like to say I appreciate all your hard efforts. They don't go unnoticed!! Your avatar looks like it is going to be a nice cover for the Face Book!!  :hug:  :hug: You deserve BIG hugs for all the hard work!! :hug:  :hug:

P.S. I hope you all got my Toby entry. I mailed it in the first of the week.

Screaming is good release Daphne rather than killing someone!!!LOL   I've been feeling that way myself the last couple of days. Have a margarita on the rocks and take it easy!!

Aleta - I hope you find your pictures. Try looking in your trash bin if you haven't already.

Okay, my husband is out picking up my daughter from school and now I'm calling him on his cell for a Starbucks run!! With all this yummy talk of flavors and favorites now I've got to have one!! I LOVE Starbucks!!!

~Having a neighbor use my water hose without asking.

~Having a neighbor walk his dog in my yard to use the bathroom.

~Family members that take off their dirty laundry and leave undergarments inside of other clothing.

~People that look at what I'm purchasing in line at the grocery store and comment on it.

~Family members that don't clean up from the midnight snack the next day and leave it for me.

~People that don't rinse out the bath tub after using it. (HAIR YUCK!!!)

~Neighbors that are loud until wee hours in the morning on a work day.( 2:30 a.m.)

~Having to watch & listen to a movie in a theater while 3 or 4 people around you talk on cell phones. HOW RUDE!!!!!

~ To wait in line at a resturant to be seated and have people cut you off like you weren't already waiting before they arrived.

Daphne -
I got chill bumps just watching the trailer and knowing that you have a part or key to the movie. My daughter now is begging to go and see the movie just because of your famous bunny!!! You have worked so hard!! Congratulations!!! :dance:

1.) I was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee at (Memorial Hospital 8/11/68 8pds. 8 oz.) I'm a middle child of three.

My Baby Picture...

2.) I have done work for Martha Stewart along side with some other ladies in designing designer pillows for K-mart.

3.) In High School I sang in the choir and took art lessons. I also took gymnastics (You wouldn't know it now though!! LOL :crackup:)

My High School Picture...

Here in Cleveland, Tennessee it is today 71 degrees and rainy. I had the bedroom window open last night. I was burning up. Some of the trees are budding the dogs and cat are starting to shedd again. And no this isn't normal for here at all.  :doh: I guess we will have winter in the spring time now??? Spring in the summer??? Summer in the fall??? Fall in the winter??? :doh: 

I don't collect many bears and dolls myself, but the few I have that I paid a lot of money for are in collectable glass cases. I was tempted to display them throughout the house but I feared what would happen to them.

I found this web-site and the cleaning etc. topic interesting from cleaning and storing.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/antiques/antiques_ … #cleaning_

Cleaning
Follow these tips for looking after your antique toys:

Cleaning should be kept to a minimum. Dust can be removed with a soft brush. Using water on a cracked item can allow water to get into the substrate and cause more damage.
Never try to 'touch up' items with paint.
Mohair was often used on 19th-century dolls and this was set using a sugar water solution. Trying to wash and set a doll's hair could remove this original material.
Doll's clothing is a prime target for cleaning and repairs. The same rules that apply to textiles care are true here. Old textiles do not react to modern cleaning techniques. And using tap water and soap flakes can actually cause damage. Find out more about caring for textiles.
If you want to make new clothes for a doll, make sure you save all the original clothing. Replica clothing will not give the same historical information and will lower the financial value of the doll if you wish to sell it.
Repairs
We have all seen damaged teddy bears that have been 'loved to death' and then suffered from bad repairs. As they age, the fur will become more fragile and stitching into it may cause splitting.

Just as an artist is not the best person to repair a painting, someone who makes teddy bears will not have the skills to repair treasured bears unless they have trained as a conservator.

Items made of textiles such as teddy bears should be examined by a textile conservator. Some items, such as dolls made of ceramics, may need the help of both a textile conservator and a ceramics conservator.

Many items like train sets and drums fall into the area of expertise of those trained in archaeological conservation or social history conservation.

While some businesses undertake specialist repairs, ensure they are professionally qualified. Conservators are taught how things fall apart and it is important to know this before commencing repair.

Display
Follow the below guidelines on displaying your dolls and teddies:

Toys should be kept where they are safe from fluctuations in heat and humidity. They should not be in direct light. A glass case will keep dirt and smoke (both coal smoke and cigarette smoke) away from the objects.

Display units should be stable so they don't easily tip over.

Don't use glue or adhesive tape around your items and never string items up with wire.

Storage
Whether it's in the original packaging or has been heavily played with, if you want to put a toy into storage, you should take time to examine it. Firstly, find out what is it made from as this will give you an idea of possible problems.

For example, a wax-headed doll shouldn't be left near heat sources or near lights, as it can easily melt. Conversely, cold temperatures can cause cracks.

Metal toys can rust if they are kept where there is a moist atmosphere.

Lead soldiers can also be dangerous to children because of the lead content and sharp edges.

Plastics can degrade into a sticky mess. Some early plastics and PVC give off fumes which can cause degradation. If a surface is sticky, cracked, powdery or has darkened, it should be kept away from other items as the fumes can cause damage to other pieces.

Wooden toys may have broken sides or edges. Wood also gives off fumes as it breaks down. It's best to store these items away from other organic materials such as paper and textiles.

Items should be stored separately and wrapped in acid-free tissue. Plastic items should be put in well-ventilated boxes.

Information courtesy of Sharon Manitta.

   
In Lifestyle
   Collector's guide to teddy bears
  Tips on collecting toys
  Guide to collecting dolls

Elsewhere on the web
   Conservation by Design 
  Conservation Resources UK
  Preservation Equipment
  Ryder & Co (acid-free boxes)

  Even though we as teddy bear artist need to always use good quaility supplies we as collectors also need to know how to store, display, and clean. Maybe we as artist need to include care and display instructions for a longer life on all teddy bears. We can give suggestions on how to care for and keep our teddy bears around a little longer if we choose to store and display properly. I have noticed my teddy bear in the glass case looks a lot better than the ones I have displayed throughout the house.
  Thanks Sandra for an educational topic. I have found this topic helpful and will now include care instructions for my teddy bears for those who aren't aware of how to preserve fine artist teddy bears.

I think all teddy bear artist try and offer the best of themselves and supplies. We as collectors need to try and find the best way to preserve the art from the artist.

I didn't make any resolutions this year. Every year I know I'll break them. I think for me it is better not to say what I'm going to change or do for the year. :redface:  That way I don't feel as bad when I fail or mess up. :redface:   I do plan on taking more time to stop and enjoy my family. Time goes by soooooo fast    I get lost in other things and loose focus of what is going on around me. I hate that!!!!

:hug: I have gotton all my cards... Thank you To everyone of you!!! :hug:

Here finally is my fishing Christmas tree. I use to deck out the whole house inside and out until our electric bill went up this Summer. I just can't see paying that much extra for lights when we need other things. I can enjoy everyone elses though without suffering a BIG electric bill!! :dance:

Lynn - My ornament finally arrived and oh my how adorable it is. I hung it on the front of my tree for all to see and enjoy. I would like to personally thank everyone who joined in to do this ornament exchange. I have had so much fun doing this together and seeing all the pics of ornaments.  :hug:  :hug:  Lynn :hug:  :hug: ... you are out of this world wonderful for taking me under your wing and letting me join in at the last minute!! Thanks a bunch and Happy Holidays to you!!!

Lynn - I'm still waiting for my ornament from you. I'm sure the USPS has slowed down since my Postal Carrier is now coming at 4:00 p.m. instead of 11:00 a.m.. I was told USPS has an extra Postal Carrier that picks up and delivers sperate from the mail carrier this year. I did most all my shopping on line this year and I  have noticed a lot of people in my neighborhood have had deliveries. So, I bet the Postal Service is overloaded.
The brown boys (UPS) truck come twice a day right now. All kinds of packages coming. All I can say is I hope they get paid well!!!

:clap::dance::clap: Way to go Noah!!:clap::dance::clap: Keep it up and you will end up going to the National Spelling B!!

Shelli - It's a wonderful thing to just take two steps back and be able to enjoy the excitement and happiness of life. I'm truly glad your whole family and Noah's dad were able to enjoy each others company and experience Noah's true talents together. I know Noah was the real one to be able to give thanks for that day. Keep Spelling  Noah!!   

I went crazy and had some flaky fun!!!

Well, I guess I missed this post due to the open house I was busy doing. I wish I had known!! Maybe next year I can join in. I would love to see pics of everyones ornaments when you get them. Also, who made each one.

Paula-
I went ahead and did one because I knew I wouldn't have time after Thanksgiving. I don't think its to early if your going to do one. Time goes by so FAST that if you don't get one ready we all can't enjoy it for long before the Holiday comes and goes. So, I think if anyone has time go ahead and post your Holiday avatar. I have seen several avatars already that have been posted and I must say, I personal have been enjoying them!! I love looking at the new ones!! Its fun to see everyones new creation and ideas!!! I can't wait to see more!!!

I didn't have anyone here to help me take many pictures so, I started drawing a lot of the illustrations. Caitlin my daughter was in school and my husband is out of town doing photography. I had fun drawing the pictures. I got a little carried away. I haven't sat down to draw in months so it was fun to switch gears for a change. No, I haven't got the first clue on producing a book of any kind. That was me just winging it in a weeks time. I figured that it was more important to pass out good information than trying to get a bunch of bears together and rushing them.

Shantell Wrote-

I'm taking a break from the 21st - 26th of November to go to Pigeon Forge to hide away for a good rest and to spend some good quality time with my family.

Tammy Wrote -

I'm very pleased Tammy with my work but publishing something isn't anything I would want to think on right now. My brain is fried from thinking so hard on this small prodject. Ha! Ha! I wish I could sleep for a week!! Your so funny!!

Thank you everyone for your sweet post and encouraging words!! You all here at TT are so wonderful to have to  talk to. You moved me out from under my shy shell!! I'm a shy person and being able to do this open house has helped me!!  :hug: